ABSTRACTHigh performance polymer network gels consisting of tetra-arm poly(ethyleneglycol) (Tetra-PEG) gels were fabricated via a module assembling method and their mechanical properties and structure were investigated by stretching and compression measurements, dynamic mechanical measurements, and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). It was found that Tetra-PEG gels are nearly-ideal polymer network with negligible fractions of defects and entanglements. SANS intensity functions indicated that the network structure was uniform free from spatial inhomogeneities. It is deduced that this uniform structure is ascribed to its unique preparation method, i.e., module assembling method (cross-end-coupling of tetra-functional macromers with complementary functional groups). Characteristic properties originated from the near-ideality as polymer networks are demonstrated, including its application to ion gels, i.e., polymer network in ionic liquid.
